The fresh-faced newcomers' debut EP is available now.
Country had it coming.
Newcomers Maddie & Tae burst on to the scene this year with "Girl in a Country Song," playfully skewering superstars like Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line for their often one-dimensional portrayals of women in music. Pulling lines directly from the bros' biggest hits and flipping them on their head, the 19-year-olds are providing a fresh female perspective in a male-dominated genre.
"'Girl in a Country Song' was inspired by Maddie and I basically just being annoyed at how girls are portrayed in country music these days," Tae Dye tells ETonline, explaining that the track was written in just one-hour using a checklist of country clichés. "The expectations in these songs are completely unrealistic."
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The girls croon on the track: "We used to get a little respect/Now we're lucky if we even get/To climb up in your truck, keep our mouths shut and ride along/And be the girl in a country song."
Even with stars like Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood and Sara Evans serving as strong female role models in country music, Maddie & Tae felt there was a void in the genre’s storytelling.
"We just miss how the woman had a character in songs," says Maddie. "Now you kinda just, all you have to do is look hot. Look here -- we don't have good hair and good makeup days all the time so if that's all you have to do, I’m outta here."
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But just because this pair is taking the boys to task, doesn't mean they aren’t fans first. Asked what they would say to the likes of Bryan, Aldean and FGL if given the chance, Tae is quick to gush: "I would be star struck. I probably wouldn't be able to speak, that's the thing."
Adds Maddie: "We're such huge fans of the songs and the people that we're kind of poking fun at, we're just bringing a new perspective to light. Something we haven't heard yet. We just feel really grateful to get to share this message."
And Nashville is taking note. The girls reveal that Mrs. Blake Shelton, Lambert herself, once told them that she "loved" the song, and fellow country newbie Lucy Hale recently told ETonline that she wished she had thought of the concept first.
"I would have killed to record that 'Girl in a Country Song,'" Hale said. “I think it's so clever and it's light-hearted. It's done in a way that's not shooting those songs or artists down, it's just saying, ‘Hey, there's more to me than my body and walking around in a bikini.' I would absolutely love to do that."
And while the novelty aspect of the tune has undoubtedly helped launch Maddie & Tae's career, the girls now face the challenge of moving on and proving their staying power.
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Maddie & Tae's debut, self-titled EP is out now, featuring three new songs about ex-boyfriends, bullies and dreams. The singer-songwriters say that fans will see a new side of them through the tracks.
"You get a little taste of everything," says Maddie. "And when the full album comes out, you'll get the full spiel."
No official date has been set on that full-length quite yet (the girls say they’re hoping for an early 2015 release), but Maddie & Tae did reveal a bit more about what to expect from their music.
"We're inspired by all kinds of different things and different stories," reveals Maddie. "We have songs inspired by friends of ours going through something. We moved out to Nashville at 17 on our own, no family, no nothin', so we have a lot of songs about that… Basically this album is about what it's like to be 19 years old."
Tae adds with a laugh: "In the midst of all that drama!"
Meanwhile, country darling Underwood is killing it with her latest single, "Something in the Water." ET has an exclusive look behind the scenes of her new video – watch below.
Follow Sophie on Twitter: @SophieSchillaci
